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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFTCE.

STEPHEN E. PARRISH, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

CLAMP FOR LAYING FLOORS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 10,061, dated September 27, 1853.

have invented a new and useful Machine for Matching or Laying Down Flooring-Boards and I do hereby declare the following to be a full description of the same.

The nature of my invention consists in making a brace having a forked end, with shoulder pieces attached to the underside thereof, so as to straddle one of the flooring beams, in combination with a screw working at right angles to the braces, and having on it a ratchet wheel and lever and pawl for working up the screw against the edge of the plank. But to describe my invention more particularly I will refer to the ac companving drawings, the same letters in the drawing referring to the saine parts wherever they occur.

The figure is a perspective view of the machine, showing by the red lines one of the iiooring beams and the plank.

Letter A, A, is the brace, made of iron and of suitable strength for the purposes required. The outer or front end of this brace is curved out, so as to form two legs B1, B2, having on their lower sides shoulder pieces C1, C2, for the purpose of straddling the flooring timber, as shown by the red lines D, and by their opposite action, when pressed against by the screw, holding firmly to it as a resisting point to the action of the screw. Transversely of the brace is ar ranged a box E, which may be made adjustable on working on a center as convenience may require. Through this boX a screw F, works, having at one end a small wheel G, for the convenience of working up or back the screw, and at the opposite end, a platen or head piece H, secured to it by means of a box J, having pins in it so as to work in a groove on the end of the screw to allow it to turn freely while the platen or head piece remains firmly and stationary againstthe edge of the flooring boards K, as seen by the red lines x a2. On the screw is arranged a ratchet wheel L, which is operated by a lever M, having two pawls N1, N2, attached to it for the purpose of turning up or back the screw for forcing the flooring boards in their places. The operation of the machine is that when the claw end of the brace is adjusted over the beam and the screw worked up, so that the platen on the end of it presses against the edge of the flooring boards, the handle end of the brace is forced back causing thereby the claws at the opposite sides of the beam to hold or clamp firmly against it, and as the screw is continued to be worked up binds it so as to prevent the possibility of slipping, and thereby obtain a foot hold for the screw to act against it, equal always to the power of the screw.v

Having now described my invention I will proceed to state what T claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent.

YWhat I claim and desire to secure is- The use of the brace having clawed ends for acting at opposite sides of a beam in combination with a screw working at right angles to the same substantially in principle of construction and operation as set forth.

S. E. PARRISH.

lVitnesses CHARLES L. BARRET, VM. H. RIBLET. 

